Today's TLA is PSF

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

I prayed this prayer everyday for four years in my Catholic high school. As students, we would try to say this prayer as fast as we could. We would literally recite this prayer in less than 30 seconds. As a high school student, I took this prayer for granted. The repetition of this prayer probably dulled its sharpness and effectiveness. But now as I am growing older, I realize this prayer's relevance in my life. This prayer is deep now that I stand back and I think about it.

"Lord make me an instrument of your peace."
The first line is interesting. How fitting in a world of strife, conflict, war, and uncertainty, the prayer simply asks God for peace. Peace in our hearts, mind, soul, careers, finances, relationships, and in everything that we do.

"Where there is hatred, let me sow love;"
So many times in the world I see the theory of where there is hatred, let there be more hatred. But this line requests to sow (plant) love and not more hate.

"Where there is injury, pardon;"
This line is saying if I have been wronged or injured, show pardon and forgiveness.

"Where there is doubt, faith;"
This line acknowledges the times of doubt in our lives with the power of God's faith in us and also our faith in God. Faith is always there.

"Where there is despair, hope;"
This line describes the times of despair and times when we are down in our lives, and yet there is hope in God in our lives.

"Where there is darkness, light;"
This line is similar to the previous line. Darkness could possibly be for death, illness, and disease, and yet God's shining light is there with us through our times of darkness.

"And where there is sadness, joy."
This line reminds us that through the times of sadness, there exists joy, which God gives us.


"O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love."

These lines describe the other oriented philosophy of one's life. These lines asks not for the one's self to be consoled, to be understand, or to be loved by another, but rather these lines tell us to console, to understand, and to love the other person. It seems like a great lines for marriages and relationships.


"For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;"

These lines remind us the lessons of Christ's compassion. We need to give of ourselves, in order to receive God's love and grace, and we need to pardon others in order for ourselves to be pardoned by God.

"and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
This line reminds us the fact that Christ's living grace is living in us. Christ's triumph over sin and death did not end 2000 years ago. It continues and transcends through us everyday. For we too shall die and perish on this earth, but we shall be born and inherit Christ's eternal life.

Anyways, it is a good prayer to pray everyday, and I probably should grow up and not rush through it in less than 30 seconds like a high school freshman.



Enjoy,
Jonathan